Royal's Lineage
by ReiRei-chan
Summary: In modern day Japan, the royal family still exists. But when the family begins to pressure the Crown Prince for marriage, what's he to do? Especially when Max, an ordinary kid gets pulled down in all this. On hold for another week or so...
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: I don't own neither Beyblade or the story line of Goong.

**Warning**: AU, OOCness (probably), Yaoi! In this I'm going to pretend that Voltaire is actually Kai's dad and he has a mother...so I'm sorry if its weird to you!

**Summary**: In the present time, the royal family lineage remains in Japan. What happens when ordinary school boy Max, gets pulled into all of this? Based on the story of Goong (Princess Hours).

"What is it?" An old woman asked. She was dressed in a dark pink kimono.

"I sincerely wish to not tell you the truth, Your Majesty." The doctor told her. "Go on," she insisted, "tell me."

"It's dizziness caused by neuroglycopenia, Your Highness." The doctor informed sullenly.

"What...neuroglycopenia?" She said incredulously.

"I am afraid so." The doctor couldn't bare to look the Queen in her eyes anymore. "His brain is dying away."

The Queen looked in her lap. "How could this happen?" She asked, tears began forming in the corners of her eyes.

"I am so sorry, Your Highness." Another woman stated. Her blue hair was up in a tight bun and she wore a dark blue kimono. The Queen looked over to her sadly before picking up a picture of the family that laid on the table in front of her. In the middle both she and her husband sat, smiling brightly at the camera. To the left was the woman beside her and her husband. In front of the couple was a small child, their son. On the right side, there was another couple and they too had their young son in front of them.

"On July 14, of the year 1994, our ever beloved Emperor died of a sudden sickness." The Queen said. "His position is to be taken over by the Crown Prince, Voltaire." She continued with a heavy heart. "And so hereby, I pass the position of Queen onto you, Koto." She said to the woman next to her. Koto bowed her head to the former Empress in acknowledgement.

"We must begin to make preparations for the royal family's future..." Her Majesty said. Koto looked over to her mother with a questioning expression. "I mean," she elaborated, "the Crown Prince's marriage."

--

14 Years Later

--

"Wow! So you got this from the Palace?!" Takao asked in excitement.

"Yep." Hiromi confirmed, giggling to herself as she and Takao glued themselves to the book. "Last time at the opening day I got it." Takao gasped, "Really? Man I'm jealous now!" He pouted. Hiromi laughed at him and decided to brag more about it. "Oh yea, they were handing them out for free!" She flipped to the next page. "Aw, why didn't you take me along?" Takao whined.

"Lets see!" Someone called out and snatched the book away from Hiromi's hand. "Hey we were looking at it!" Takao exclaimed as he tried to reach for it over Max's shoulder. Max turned his back from him, refusing to give up the book as he flipped through it. "Whoa! He's gorgeous!" The blond said.

"Max Mizuhara, you give me that book back right now!" Hiromi grabbed the book but couldn't free it from Max's grip. "Stop it, its going to tear!" She cried out, but the half Japanese boy refused to give it up. They played tug-o-war for a split second before Hiromi ripped it out of Max's hand. Hiromi looked down at her hands, in it was the blue book, she looked up to Max, in his hand was a page.

"Oh no," Max said, "it ripped." He handed back the page to his whimpering friends who immediately tried to piece the abused book back together. "MAX MIZUHARA!!" Hiromi screamed as she shoved the book into Takao's hands. Max's eyes widened for a second before he began to push past the other students and made a dash to the classroom door with Hiromi right behind him. He made it to the door before Hiromi grabbed him around the neck and began to pummel his head. "You are going to die Mizuhara! I swear you will!" Hiromi ranted. "I'll ruin all your dreams of becoming a designer!"

Max simply laughed and ducked his head away from her. "Yea yea, you'll ruin my dreams as soon as you meet the Prince!" Hiromi fumed and realizing what he had said, Max once again began a mad dash away from her.

"Look at this. This is a picture of the Prince when he was a child." Hiromi pointed gleefully down at a picture in her recently renewed book. "Oh, my god!" Takao gasped. "He was adorable!"

"He is so hot." Takao said as Hiromi turned to another page with a more recent picture of the Prince on it. They continued to flip through the book, squealing and cooing at every picture. Takao flipped one more page and the two squealed loudly. On the page were a series of pictures with the Prince in their school's uniform. He didn't look particularly happy in any of them, but Hiromi and Takao claimed it only added to his sex appeal.

"He's handsome, and rich and from royalty! What else could you want?" Hiromi sighed dreamily.

From behind them, Brooklyn threw his paintbrush down on the table. "Shut up, you Cinderella freaks." He said. Hiromi scrunched up her nose at him and Takao looked away. Satisfied, Brooklyn returned to his painting.

Max walked into the room with a canvas in front of him with his arm smocks on and his orange sweater tied around his waist. He looked at Hiromi and Takao sitting at the table and smiled evilly to himself. He shuffled over to wear Brooklyn stood painting and set his canvas down near him. Then he poked Hiromi in the back causing her to jump in surprising then moving on to do the same to Takao. They jumped out of their chairs and whirled around to see Max smiling at them. "Hi!" He greeted them cheerfully.

"What is this?" Hiromi asked as she tugged on Max's sweater. "You always wear this and my dad's always trying to get you into detention for it and those gloves." She said as she pointed to his green biker gloves. "Its spring you don't need that sweater." Hiromi scolded him in an attempt to get him back for what he just did.

"No, you guys. This is my hybrid fashion." Max informed as he jumped up onto the counter. "You mix your school uniform with normal every day clothes. Isn't it the bomb?" He asked laughing.

"Yea right!" Takao said as he and Hiromi began criticizing the blond.

"Hey, Max." Brooklyn asked looking up from his work.

"Yea?" Max asked.

"Did you finish the assignment?" Max gave him a weird look. "What...assignment?" He asked his ginger haired friend. "Your portrait." Brooklyn replied earning and instant gasp from Max. "That's due! Today?!" He scrambled up along with Takao and Hiromi and gathered his painting materials. "What period is it?"

"We're screwed!" Takao exclaimed.

"Really? Why? You should just keep admiring the pictures in that little book of yours." Brooklyn said smugly. "Hey, Brooklyn, why are you like that huh?" Takao asked angrily. "Yea what's wrong with Cinderella?" Hiromi added.

"The royal family has no real use and they waste the public's tax money." Brooklyn said. "In short, they're nothing but people to look at." He said bitterly and walked away.

A large crowd began to form in the front of the school as three black cars pulled up. Men in suits immediately got out from the car and began to hold back the girls and boys from getting too close to the middle one. The Prince got out of the car and slung his backpack over his shoulder. He took a quick glance around before heading into the school.

The bodyguards pushed back the screaming crowd so as to make a path for the Prince. He looked back towards the head guard and said, "I told you...don't do this at school. Just stand guard outside the gates." The guard bowed respectfully and left. (A/N: That was really tiny but w/e xD)

_Art, music, dance, theater and film are all things that you can learn at our school. But the art assignment is killing me! _Max thought to himself. _I don't want to do this!_

Brooklyn looked over the ledge of the balcony that the four sat on, looking down to see why there was so much noise. "Great, the Great Prince has decided to show up." He sighed as he turned back to his work. Max reached over to dip is paintbrush into a new color when he caught a glimpse of blue. He peered down through the balcony and saw a group of four boys. The blue haired one turned around and looked in their direction.

"Oh, my god. But is he...is he looking at us?" Max questioned. "He's looking at us right?" Hiromi took at a mirror and began fixing her hair. Takao said, "Really? I'll go see." The too ran over to the ledge and looked down at the group. There was the Prince looking up towards them.

"I think I'm going to die!" Hiromi cried out.

"Prince!" Takao yelled out. "I don't have a boyfriend!" Max tried to hold in his snicker while Brooklyn rolled his eyes at them. "But," Brooklyn started, "why are those guy's going here instead of the Royal family's? Jeez, all those guys born with everything they could ever want are gathering over there." He snorted. "Bryan, the son of a business owner." He looked over to the next person. "Ian, the son of another business owner." He looked towards a big blond. "Spencer, and oh what do you know, another son of a wealthy business owner." He casted his eyes up to the ceiling and said, "Then of course you have the Prince, Kai Hiwatari." The ginger haired teen sighed. "I hate them. The moment they showed up the academic atmosphere disappeared."

Kai looked at Tala through the window on the second floor but was momentarily distracted by someone yelling, "HEY PRINCE OVER HERE!!" Moving his gaze over, he noticed a brunette girl and a navy haired boy smiling and waving towards him.

"Hey," Spencer asked, "what's up with all the commotion on the second floor?" All four boys turned their attention to the group painting on the second floor. "I'm sexy, right?" The brunette yelled to them. Bryan and Ian laughed at her while Spencer opted to shake his head at her. Kai ignored the two and turned his attention back to the redhead playing the violin in the room next to them.

* * *

"Hey, isn't that Tala?" Bryan asked. "He's a real beauty." He commented as he looked back at his friend's face. "Oh so you were staring at him the whole time!" He said in realization. Kai smiled lightly at that. _Yea, he is a real beauty._

Ok, I'm afraid I'm going to have to stop it there because I'm not so sure yet how I want this all to work out. And believe it or not this chapter took an EXTREMELY long time to make because I want this to follow along with the plot of Goong as much as possible!

So, I plan to not keep you all waiting for long on the next chapter, I just want to get it really well planned for what's going to happen later. Which is why I need YOUR help!

If you could tell me what you think: Should this be a KaixMax story, should I keep KaixTala? Should Hiromi, Takao and Brooklyn find someone? I just don't know what to do! XD You're ideas are much appreciated!

Thankies


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes**: First off, I think I should thank all of you wonderful reviewers. You helped me a lot with the way this story should go. A lot of you have said, "yea follow the general idea, but don't make it exact" so I will try my best. But to be honest one of the big things I wanna keep is Chaeyung's dream of being a fashion designer, cuz I dunno about you but I can imagine Max sewing a teddy bear for some reason, or sewing just in general...I have...weird fantasies...ignore me! Second, I'm sorry if I took to long to update. I was sorta busy, I was at school for "mini" band camp, which sucks because I'm not exactly a part of the band. (I'm part of color guard xD) I know, weird thing to join, huh? But I have no life and I needed something to do...

Anywayz...ON WITH THE STORY.

--(Wheee Line!)--

"Alright, class, be quiet!" The conductor commanded as he walked into the orchestra room. All the students immediately took their seat in their respective instrument groups and quieted down. There were still a few whispers here and there but those stopped too when the teacher threatened a extra hour of practice for anyone who talked.

When the room was silent, Mr. Barthez, the conductor, announced, "As you know, there is a competition coming up soon and we have been invited to participate in it as one of the most talented high schools in the world." Chattering began to fill the silent void again, but quickly stopped when the teacher gave everyone a death glare. "But," he continued, "not only is this a competition. But the owner of the Royal Music Academy in Korea is using this as a talent search and therefore I will be choosing a few soloists from each section." At that he looked to Tala, who was fingering his violin with a small smile. Looking back towards all his students, the teacher said, "With that said, you will all be attending extra rehearsals and turning in a practice log so I know that you have all been doing you're work."

Moans and groans were heard in the room but Mr Barthez tapped his stand a few times with his conducting stick (I'm really starting to dislike any word that starts with conduct) calling for silence. When everyone quieted down he brought his hands up. The students brought up their instruments, waiting for the teacher's command to start.

Mr. Barthez lightly tapped his foot on the ground while swinging his arms around counting off, "1, 2, 3, 4" quietly before he snapped his hands down for the first beat and soon a beautiful minuet began playing.

Max dragged his bucket of dirty paint water over in the direction of the boys bathroom. Exhausted, he set his bucket down in front of him while he stretched his arms out, attempting to loosen them. He sighed and thought to himself, _man I really need to work out more my arms are like noodles. _He pouted as he flexed his arms, looking for his non-existent muscles. Finally, he sighed once again as he gave up and went back to shaking his arms out, not paying attention to the student who walked behind him to use their locker.

Deciding that his arms were now semi-healed, Max leaned down to pick up his small bucket and turned around at the exact same time as the other student. The blond's overfilled bucket lurched forward from the impact, spilling some of the water onto the student's pants.

Max stared down in horror at the wet pants and immediately went into "beg for forgiveness" mode. "I'm sorry!" He exclaimed as he looked up at the other student but froze instantly when he saw the Prince in front of him. Smiling nervously, the blond said, "I'm really sorry! I'll..um...I'll clean them for you."

He grabbed part of his painting smock and began furiously scrubbing away at the Prince's pants. Kai rolled his eyes at the idiotic blond and pushed him away with his leg, causing the poor art student to flop onto his butt. Kai turned back to his locker and reached into them, pulling out a pair of sweat pants used for gym. He turned back and gave the small blond a glare before stepping away from him, heading towards the bathroom.

Max stayed in his spot on the floor, his bucket of dirty water beside him as he recounted the events that just happened. Once the Prince was out of sight, he suddenly realized how rude the blue haired royalty had been. He scrunched up his face in anger and mumbled, "What a rude bastard." Looking back up, he noticed a few students looking at him curiously. Smiling awkwardly, Max stood up with his bucket and headed off to his originally task as he internally fumed at the Prince.

He stomped pass Brooklyn, who asked, "Are you ok?"

"Just fine." Max ground out in response. He continued on his rampage down the hallway pushing past a giggling Hiromi and Takao. The two looked at the blond's retreating figure then back towards Brooklyn. "What's with him?" Takao asked. Hiromi elbowed him sharply, "Just leave him alone." She scolded.

Brooklyn could only shrug in response.

By the end of the day, Max had almost forgotten all about his encounter with the cold prince, almost.

Max wandered down the hallways of the school, heading towards the art room. He was in need of his sketch book and he had left it there after his morning of painting. He passed by the first class room, about to go into the one he needed when he heard a voice say, "Do you want get married?" Curious, Max turned back to the classroom door that he had just passed when he heard another _male_ voice ask, "Are you serious?"

Hiding behind the wall, Max peeked into the room and saw the Prince and another guy with him. A redhead, a really hot redhead. _I know that guy,_ Max thought to himself as he tried to remember, _Tala! That's his name, Tala._ "Of course I am, I just proposed to you." Max heard Kai answer.

"You've got to be kidding me." Tala said in disbelief.

"What's there to kid about?" Kai shot back.

"Look," Tala started, "we're still in high school. What do you mean get married? You've got to be joking, right?"_ Oh my god!_ Realization dawned on Max, _the Prince his proposing to this guy! This is BIG news._ The blond smiled to himself as he went back to peeping on the two.

Kai sighed and massaged his temples. "My parents might make me marry someone I don't know, unless I tell them that I already have someone I want to marry. We've been dating for a while now. I'd rather get married to you then someone I don't even know."He explained.

Tala looked at him and said, "I know it would be better for you, but the dull life of being a royalty..." he shook his head, "I don't think I could handle that. Besides, I want to be a famous musician, you know that." Kai looked down refusing to meet his boyfriend's icy blue gaze. "If I marry you, won't I have to give that all up? I'm sorry, but I can't."

Max nodded to himself resolutely, _I agree with this guy. If I were in his position I would say the same thing. I mean, even if he's royalty, who would want to marry that jerk?_ Just as that thought went through his head, he heard his phone go off. _Shit!_ He cried mentally. He turned around and began fumbling with his pockets trying to locate his phone when he heard Kai call out, "Who's there?"

Scared beyond belief, Max quickly grabbed his phone and and pressed the 'end call' button when he heard someone heading towards the door. Looking around, Max began to walk in the direction that he came from but stopped instantly when he heard the Prince's commanding voice ask, "Who are you?"

Max looked around panicked as he tried to come up with something. Finally he just decided on a simple, "No one."

Kai narrowed his eyes on the blond's back. He looked familiar, but the blue haired prince couldn't place where no matter how hard he tried. "What did you hear?" He questioned, growing suspicious when the blond visibly flinched at him. "U-um, nothing..." Kai could tell he was lying through his teeth. "Turn around." He ordered.

The blond turned his head ever so slightly, looking as if he was about to obey the Prince's order, before he quickly dashed off before Kai could do anything.

Judy slammed her phone shut when Max didn't answer his phone. "That boy." She mumbled to herself. Mr. Tate (The hell is his name?! Anyone know? xD) tried to calm his wife down. "He's only a teenager, its natural for him to want to be more...independent from us." Judy glared at her husband, not at all satisfied.

"Since when did you ever care about your child anyways?" She asked him.

"Hey, I love our son. There's no reason for you to doubt me." He said in his defense.

"No reason to doubt you?" Judy asked in disbelief. "You're business went bankrupt, and you can't do anything to make money! All you bring home is bills, bills, bills that you can't even pay!" Judy sighed and placed her head in her hands. "Its only a matter of time before those loan sharks come and get us. Then what? Huh?!" Judy yelled. "What do you plan to do for Max then?"

As she finished her sentence, their doorbell rang. Husband and wife exchanged glances before looking towards the door. "You get it!" Judy whispered to her husband. He looked back at her, fearfully, before he slowly got up and headed towards the door. He opened it cautiously and peered outside. There, on their porch, was a jolly looking fat man that bore the symbol of the royal family on his coat.

"Hello!" He greeted cheerfully. "My name is Mr. Dickenson, and I am here from the Royal Palace. May I come in." Stunned, Mr. Tate merely nodded and moved aside to let the old man in. Judy stood up, overhearing the two men's conversation and offered Mr. Dickenson a seat on their couch. She and her husband both took a seat on the love seat next to it.

"So..uh..what brings the Royal Family here?" Judy asked slowly. Mr. Dickenson chuckled and brought out a small box from his coat pocket. He set it on the table and opened it. Both Mr. And Mrs. Tate looked at the wedding ring rested in the box in awe.

"This is a token of a promise made between the last King and Mr. Tate, your father." Mr. Dickenson informed. "The promise that both their grandchildren were to be wed together."

"But, our child...isn't a girl." Judy informed. Mr. Dickenson smiled at her and said, "Man or woman, the pledge was made."

Ok this might just be me, but I felt that this chapter royally sucked. So hopefully it will get better later. Alas, I have to end here because I'm going to see the newest greatest movie! BATMAN!! FEAR ME!! xD

Anywayz, hopefully I'll have a new chapter up soon but don't expect anything. REAL band camp starts soon and I'm gonna be busy for two weeks with that crap. Boo hoo! But its all good because I know how to wave and throw a big flag around! 3

R&R and I shall love you forever! 3


	3. Chapter 3

Helloooooo Readers and Reviewers (luv ya) here is my third chappie of Royal's Lineage. Please, if its a little short I'm VERY VERY sorry, but I somehow screwed up my wrist so it hurts to type and what not. It sucks cuz like when I want to IM someone it hurts like hell so I'm all "ow ow ow" D:

But enough about me! I wanna thank all of you have left me a comment because that's basically what's keeping this alive for me. I usually start then just totally stop whatever I'm writing so I'm proud of myself right now! 3

Oh and I'm am in need of some more of your ideas, now that Rei has entered the picture! So some of you had suggested that eventually Tala should end up with Bryan. So now I'm stuck with Rei...should he be single till the end? Or maybe like ReixTy or BrookxRei (wow that's kinda random) What do you think? Plz tell me! :D

* * *

Kai left the school building with a sigh, refusing to look up pass the ground. He ignored all the distracting screams coming from most of the female student body as he headed towards one of the black cars he used earlier. One of his body guards opened the door for him and he climbed in quickly. As soon as the driver was seated, they drove off as the screaming girls behind them attempted to chase after the car.

As the front courtyard of the school quieted down as the screaming fan girls ran to the gates, Brooklyn had his hands full holding a screaming Hiromi and struggling Takao back. They finally calmed down when the black car was out of sight and Hiromi sent Max a glare when he refused to stop laughing at the two.

"You have no right to be laughing at us!" Hiromi huffed at the blond.

Max clutched his stomach and gasped for breath when he finally began to calm down. "Of course I can." He replied still giggling lightly. "If only I had a camera and maybe you'd see just how ridiculous you are."

"Us? Ridiculous?" Takao asked in disbelief, but changed his mind at the skeptic stares both Max and Brooklyn gave him. "Ok, point taken. But," he defended, "its you two who are abnormal." He declared as he pointed at the two other boys. "You both hate the Prince, but he's got the whole female population and hell, probably even half the _male_ population after him."

"Yea, notice what you say there: _half_." Brooklyn informed as he rolled his eyes at his friend's stupidity.

"Brooklyn's right, though." Max agreed. "You say you like the Prince, but if you actually knew him, you'd probably think he's a jerk." Max shied away from Hiromi and Takao as soon as the words slipped from his mouth as both of them had murder written all over their face. "B-besides," Max stuttered, "even if you still liked him, it wouldn't matter. He already likes someone."

"WHAT?!" The two screamed at their friend. Max's eyes widened in realization at what he had just confessed. He slapped a hand over his mouth quickly and habitually looked towards Brooklyn for support, but Brooklyn was just as shocked as the rest of them.

"Who is it?" Hiromi exploded. "Whoever it is, is dead!" She vowed to herself out loud.

Filled with unease, Max slowly edged his way away from the group, but Brooklyn's question made him stop in his tracks. "How would you know something like that?" He asked. Smiling nervously, the blond replied, "Well, I kinda might have overheard something about it..." He trailed off as Takao and Hiromi looked expectantly at him.

"So, so?!" Takao asked anxiously. "Who is it?"

* * *

"Well, you see..." Max glanced down at his wrist and suddenly said, "Well, would you look at the time. I gotta get home. Bye guys!" With that, Max turned around and dashed away from the school and his friends. Behind him he heard Hiromi shout, "MIZUHARA, YOU DON'T FOOL ME! YOU DON'T EVEN **OWN **A WATCH!"

In his car, Kai leisurely flipped through a magazine, as the car came to stop again. He didn't bothering to read anything from it. He simply needed a distraction. Bored with his reading material, he cast it aside and glanced up at his window. Outside there was a lady tending to her flowers outside of her shop. Beside her was a blond student chatting away with her. He wore the same school uniform as Kai and around his waist was an orange sweater.

_I've seen that sweater before,_ Kai thought to himself. Suddenly the image of the kid who had been eavesdropping on him and Tala flashed through his mind and he growled slightly as he took in the kid's feature's by heart. Tomorrow was going to be hell for the blond.

Soon the blond was left behind him as the car drove on the palace and slowly his surroundings began to blur around him. But Kai just smirked to himself as he thought about what tomorrow's events would be like.

Max opened the door to his house and closed it behind him as he took off his shoes. "I'm home--" He began, but was interrupted when is mom and dad came out of nowhere and gave him a tackle hug as they screamed in excitement. "Um, what's going on?" Max asked cautiously.

"Oh Maxie!" Judy exclaimed as she hugged her son to her chest.

"Happiness is here!" His father cheered and patted the blond on his shoulders.

Max looked between his mother and father, still confused as to the attitude change. Usually the two were bickering and threatening to get a divorce, though they never have gone through with it. "Yay?" Their son asked, more confused then ever.

His father ran into the living room and rushed back out with a velvety box in his hand. "Look, look!" His father said anxiously as he opened the box in front of Max's face. The blond teen gasped in excitement as he looked at the wedding ring laying in the box.

"Oh, my god!" He cried out. Judy and her husband smiled at each other then at their son. They hadn't expected him to react so well. "Who's getting married?!" Max asked, excited. His parents immediately stopped their jumping and cheering and looked at their son.

"You are." Judy replied simply. Max looked at her and laughed. Again he asked, "No really who? Oh no wait!" He suddenly yelled. "Don't tell me. Its Michael, right? Its Michael." Judy slapped her forehead at her sons ignorance and said, "No its you. Your grandfather arranged it with one of his friends before you were born. We were just informed today."

Max looked at his parents in disbelief. "You're kidding, right?" He smiled hopefully at his parents. It soon died, however, when they both shook their heads. "People still make arranged marriages?" Max asked in disbelief. This was so unfair. He wanted to choose who he married, not his grandfather, whom he barely even knew.

"Now, now, Max," His mother tried to counsel him, "this was your dying grandfather's wish. How can you go against that?" She asked, attempting to guilt him.

Lucky for her, it was easy to guilt Max.

He sighed and shook his head at his parents. "Ok well if I have to..." Both his parents perked up and started to bounce slightly again. "Who is it too at least."

"U-um, well you see..." Judy began.

A jogger passing by the Mizuhara household flinched when he heard someone shriek, "THAT'S RIDICULOUS!!"

"This is a picture of the Mizuhara's son." Koto stated as she slid the picture across the table to her son. Voltaire grumbled and looked away, not at all happy about the marriage arrangement. "Coincidence or fate, I cannot say, but he happens to go to the same school as you." Kai looked at his mother and asked, "What? We're in the same school?"

She nodded. "He's part of the art department."

Curious, Kai picked up the photo and examined the boy in it. He did a double take as he realized who it was in the photo. "No way..." he said to himself. In the photo was Max, smiling warmly at the camera, his blue eyes sparkling.

Setting the photo back down, he whispered, "I don't believe this."

"So," Koto said, "what do you say?"

Kai thought to himself for a moment, before smirking and nodding his head in agreement. "Yes, I'll agree."

Koto smiled at her son's response, while Voltaire growled quietly in annoyance but said nothing.

--

**Hong Kong, China**

--

"Rei," Mai Kon said as she shook her sleeping son, "Rei, wake up."

Rei shifted in his sleep and mumbled incoherently, turning his back towards his mother. She sighed and smiled down at her son before shaking him again. "Rei, wake up. I have important news to tell you."

Rei took a deep breath and slowly allowed his eyes to crack open from his nap. He looked over towards his mother who smiled at him warmly. "What is it?" He asked gently. Mai smiled at him and replied, "Your cousin is suppose to be getting married."

Rei looked at her shocked, "What? Kai is?" She nodded her head in confirmation. "So, are you going for the wedding then?"

Mai nodded again. "Yes," she confirmed, "we are going back home. We'll give them a surprise." She smiled at him. "We'll take back what's rightfully ours. They abandoned us and cut contact for fourteen years. And now its time for us to make our return." She shook her head as if to reassure herself. She patted her son's head, then stood up and left.

Rei gave her a confused look, but shook it off quickly. He grabbed the blankets and pulled them closer to himself, trying to fall back to sleep.

* * *


	4. Chapter 4

Hello all! I'm back again with chapter 4! Sorry it took so long to update! I'll be faster next time! I promise. So in return I'm going to try and make this a little bit longer chapter.

* * *

Thanks for all you reviewers, you've given me a lot of ideas and a lot to think about! And good news, my wrist is better, so hopefully these chapters will start getting longer 3

"THIS IS RETARDED!!" Max screamed at his parents. They were sitting across from each other at the kitchen table. "I refuse, I won't marry him!" Max said in resolution as he crossed his arms at his chest and looked away.

"You can't do that." Judy tried to tell Max, in a gentle motherly way. "You _are_ the future, Crown 'Princess'." She said, using air quotes on the word princess.

"Are you serious?" Max cried, standing up from his seat. The chair made an unpleasant noise as it scratched against the floor. "Mom, Dad," their son addressed them, "how old am I?" Both parents looked away at the question. "I'm only a high school student!" He yelled at them. "And on top of that," the blond added, "I'm a boy." An awkward silence hung over the room for a moment. Max grinned in triumph, thinking he had one this little war until his father spoke up and said, "But aren't you gay?"

Pouting slightly out of habit, Max pointed his finger at his dad and replied, "That's besides the point! And its a ridiculous thought! The Crown Prince marrying someone like me." He thought back to the two encounters he experienced today, neither of them pleasant. _The guy is an ass for someone whose suppose to be raised with manners_, Max thought bitterly.

"Now, now," Judy chided, "don't say that! Didn't you hear the phone call we just got?" Her son glared at her, but did nothing to show agreement or denial. "The Prince accepted the marriage proposal!" She said in excitement.

"I can't believe you two!" Max accused as he stomped the floor in a childish manner. "Its like you're selling your own son out."

"Aw, Maxie, its not like that." His father replied warmly with a smile. "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity! Like something from a fairytale." He said. "Like Cinderella! The Prince who fell in love with a commoner, you know?"

The blond rolled his eyes at that and replied, "Yeah, here's the difference though: the Prince _fell in love_ with her."

"What do you mean?" Judy questioned as she, too, stood from her seat. "Yes, maybe you don't know each other that well, but you can still fall in love."

"Its not like that." Max sighed. His eyes held a dejected look. "He already has a gorgeous boyfriend." Max stated. An image of the redhead, Tala, flashed through his mind, his deep crimson hair and icy blue eyes. "I saw the Prince propose to him." The blond plopped down in his seat and looked away. Judy and her husband exchanged a worried glance, before directing their attention back to their son when he spoke again. "The Prince must have lost his mind when he got rejected by him." Max muttered to himself, still not looking up from the floor.

He sighed again. "Either way," the blond said, looking from parent to parent, "this engagement is not happening." He stood up and stomped away from his room.

An arrow whizzed throw the air, hitting one of the many targets placed around the field dead on.

"Your mother has agreed to lessen the amount of guards at school." Mr. Dickenson informed the Prince has he reached to grab another arrow. "However, she refuses to let you simply have the wait at the school gates." Another arrow was sent flying.

Mr. Dickenson's lips pursed at the Prince's silence. "You do not like the marriage proposal, do you?" He questioned the young royalty. Kai's response was to let loose another arrow. "If it is true," the old man continued, "after the marriage it will be hard on both you and the boy. Perhaps you should think twice about this." Kai pulled back on the bow string, taking aim at one of the targets before letting go. The arrow flew and hit it's mark dead on.

* * *

Kai lowered his bow and said, "You're wrong." Mr. Dickenson looked surprised for a minute. "What?" He asked politely. Kai didn't look up at him, turning to get another arrow, and placing it on his bow. "You're wrong, I want this marriage." He said. The blunette pulled back on the string. "Although he may not be up to standard, I think he will be refreshing to the palace." Another arrow flew through the air. Kai lowered his bow and looked towards Mr. Dickenson. "Isn't it funny." He said, "Its the 21st century, but I'm still forced into a custom as old as an arranged marriage."

That morning, early in the school day, Max once again found himself running for his life from Hiromi Tachibana. "Ah, I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" He yelled at the brunette, as he ran through the hallways of the school, dodging everyone as he tried to lose the ferocious girl.

"I WILL BE SORRY ONCE I'M THROUGH WITH YOU!!" Hiromi screeched as she chased after him. Max glanced back quickly and saw that Hiromi was being slightly overwhelmed by the horde of students in the hallway. He giggled and turned back to watch where he was going just as he ran into someone. The collision jolted them both, and the blond looked back to the person he ran into and began to fiercely apologize.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" He cried, stopping when he saw who it was. Max held back a gasp. Tala stood in front of him, staring at him with a frown on his face. The younger couldn't help but shiver slightly in intimidation at those icy eyes. Max looked away from the older boy, a feeling of guilt washed over him and he began to play with the sleeves of his school uniform. Tala only stared at him for a split second longer, before brushing off the shoulder that Max had hit before turning away and continuing down the hallway.

Max watched him, the guilt still wouldn't leave. He couldn't help but notice how differently the redhead seemed to carry himself. It was almost more of a slouch, instead of his usual confident stride.

Tala quietly walked into the band room, where some of the students, especially soloists, were practicing for their show. The redhead, walked over to the lockers, opening his to pull at his violin. He was about to shut it when he overhead someone saying, "Did you hear? Everyone is so stressed in the palace because of the upcoming marriage." Tala turned his head slightly as he listened to the girl.

"How would you know?" Another said, probably the first girls friend. Tala looked at the two and recognized them instantly. The first was Ming Ming, she played the piano. Her friend next to her was Julia, who was the soloist for the viola section. "My dad works as a guard in the palace." Ming Ming said.

"Oh, my god." Julia gasped. "Then it is true?"

"Of course! Why would I lie?" Ming Ming beamed to her friend. "But there's something even better."

"What is it?"

"The Crown Princess is someone from our school!" Ming Ming said excitedly. Tala's eyes widened as he heard that.

"Who is it? Who is it?" Julia asked, unable to control her excitement.

"That," Ming Ming sighed, "I don't know." Tala let a small smile cross his face as he took in what the two girls just said. He turned around and headed to the exit. Only one person was on his mind as he opened the door to the music room and let it fall shut behind him. Leaving his violin laying in front of his locker.

In one of the private practice rooms, Kai played a few keys on the piano out of boredom. "What kind of rumor is that?" He looked up at the redhead across from him. "Are they talking about me?" Tala questioned from his seat. "They said that it's someone from our school." Kai refused to make eye contact with the redhead.

Tala sighed and took in Kai's features. "Didn't we say," he started, "that we would keep our relationship a secret until we got out of high school?"

Kai closed his eyes and when he opened them again, he was staring at Tala intently. "Don't worry." He replied. "It's not you." Tala looked shocked as he stared at the Prince. "What?" He asked.

Kai sighed and again diverted his gaze. "I just recently found out. But its not you." He repeated.

"Who then?" Tala asked, still stunned. (ALITERATION YAY! Though that's for poetry...Dx)

"It was a promise made by my grandfather and his friend." Kai answered, avoiding the question. He stood up from the piano bench he was seated on and throwing the redhead one last glance, left the practice room. Leaving Tala to stare at the spot where he had once been in disbelief.

After dinner was finished, Max ran to his room and plopped down onto his desk chair as he grabbed hold of his ancient sewing machine. He fought with it for a moment has he pulled the top off to get into the rusty old gears inside of it. He then began to mess around with it, trying different ways to get the old thing to work again. After about an hour of fiddling with it, he gave up and smacked the poor thing out of frustration. He leaned back into his chair in a huff and crossed his arms in annoyance.

There was a knock on his door just then, but he didn't bother to answer it, since Judy just walked in. She looked over at her son, then to his old sewing machine a smiled. "Can't get the old thing to work?" She asked.

"No." Max replied. He sighed and looked at his mom with a pout. "Can I get a new one?" He asked.

Judy sighed, "Max, you know we can't afford one right now. We have loan sharks practically breathing down our necks."

"I figured as much." Max mumbled dejectedly. "Now how am I suppose to make those clothes Hiromi wanted for her birthday." Max wondered out loud. An awkward silence hung in the air for a moment before Judy broke it. "Max, honey," she said slowly, as if cautious that her son might explode any second, "look, I know marriage is one of the last things on your mind at your age, but please Max think about our position here." She begged him. "We can't pay off our debts and I know you dream of becoming a famous designer or artist, but honey, think realistically."

Max bit his lip and looked away, not wanting to accept the truth of his mom's words. Judy sighed and walked towards he son, wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled him into a hug, his head resting against her chest. "I know, that it seems like we're trying to sell you out, but its not true." She continued. "Yes, it would be convenient for us, but Maxie, it would also be good for you too. At least this way we could insure that you do have a well cared for life. Even if that life is of royalty."

Max closed his eyes in the warm embrace and nodded his head. Judy smiled down at her son before tugging him gently. "C'mon, lets get you into bed." She said. Max complied, moving away from his chair onto his bed. He sighed as his head rested on the fluffy pillows. Judy pulled the blankets over him and tucked him in. "Goodnight." She said and kissed his forehead. She walked back towards the door, looking back at her son again and smiled when she saw he was already asleep.

She shook her head affectionately, before turning off his lights and gently closing the door behind her. "You never know what your future will hold." She whispered to herself. Instead of heading off to her own room, she headed out the door, a 'wedding' gift already in her mind.

So how was it? Was it good? Bad? Mediocre? In need of help...? xD

And I have a dilemma **again**, I know, I'm bad! XD and it concerns Rei again! Because of mixed opinions should I do BryxTal and BrookxRei or just TalxRei? Help pwease? Thanks again!

R&R 3


	5. Chapter 5

Hi! I'm back again! Sick of me yet? Heehee! I've recently gotten back into my obsession with video games so I have locked myself in my room so I can write this chapter without any distractions! 3 I'm a genius, I know. I swear to god, though, I will someday make a super-ultra long chapter, because when I see them, they're like...tiny...Dx So be patient with me I'll make it...one day.

Aaaaaanywayz...One with the story!

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Hope you like this new chappy

Max stood in front of his parents scrutinizing gazes, shifting uncomfortably from his left foot to his right. His mom's eyes narrowed, looking her son up and down, observing every inch of her son. She circled him one last time, still studying the blond carefully before coming to a stop in front of him.

Max nervously played with the end of his sleeves under his mom's watchful gaze. Finally, Judy smiled and exclaimed, "You look so nice!" She pulled the boy close and hugged him as if she would never be able to do it again. Max yelped at the sudden tug and flailed his arms uselessly in an attempt to save himself from his could-be death. Judy stepped back, holding her son at arms length as he looked at him. The blond wore a pair of slightly long khaki pants and a nice light blue dress shirt.

"You should wear these things more often, Maxie." Judy cooed as she once again forced him into a bear hug. Judy had done everything to prepare for today. She forced Max to take a nice long shower, which she practically supervised to make sure he washed his hair twice and cleaned himself up nicely, then she blow dried his hair and combed it, so it no longer had a very unruly look and finally forced him into clothes she had bought for the occasion. "Besides," she said, "you should be glad I'm at least not forcing you into a suit. As much as I want to, you just wouldn't look as cute." Judy sounded slightly disappointed, but shook it off, smiling once again at her son.

Max swatted her hand away, when she tried to ruffle his hair and said, "I already said I'm not going to get married. Why are you doing this?" Max tugged at his shirt in emphasis. Everyone remained silent after the question was asked. Max looked between his mom and dad and continued, "I know that we're not exactly in the best position money wise and that dad has been unemployed for a year." His dad turned away, not able to look his son in the eyes. "And mom can't find any funds for her research to continue." She looked around the room, also unable to look at her son. "I know you both work hard to help me with school and all the things I want, but..." Max trailed off.

Both Judy and her husband perked up at this and urged him to continue. "But.." Max started, "are you happy to sell me off like this?" Judy sighed, dropping her head as she thought over her son's words. "Max," she said, "you're young, I know. Just barely eighteen. But..." She paused for a moment as she and her son stared at each other. "But...the last thing we want to happen to you is for your dream to get crushed." She smiled sadly at him. "I know your dream isn't to get married quickly, especially to the Prince, but in the position we're in as of now, I'm not even sure how much more we can pay for your school tuition."

Max frowned but said nothing in response.

Judy sighed and smiled, trying to lighten up the mood, but Max only pouted. "Why?" Max asked quietly. "Is money everything? Doesn't you're son mean more then money?" He asked, now aiming for the guilt trip. His dad took a deep breath before answering his question. "Look, Max," he said, "you mean more to us then anything. Anything we've ever had. But in this world, yes money means a lot. Its not as much value to us then you, but this is why we want to do this. Why we want _you_ to do this." Max looked confused at his dad's answer, but he had nothing to say in response. Judy turned around and picked up a package from the kitchen table and held it out to her son. "What your father is trying to say, Max, is that yes, money is important in order to strive in this world. And if you don't have a need to worry about such a thing, you can live comfortably. And that's what we want."

"But I can live comfortably." Max claimed, as he took the package his mom gave him. Both his parents raised their eyebrows at him in confusion, asking silently what he meant. Max gave them a smile and said, "When I become famous!" As he said that he threw his right fist in the air while holding his package in the other.

Judy chuckled at her son and said, "Yes, yes. Now thing realistically and open your present."

Max pouted at her and replied, "I _am _thinking realistically." He unwrapped the package in his arms and stared at it. He continued to stare at it for a moment as his parents stood there, waiting in anticipation. Finally, Max moved and carefully set the sewing machine down before he jumped into his parents arms, wailing in happiness. Just as he was about to give his thanks the doorbell rung and the three looked at each other. "Its probably someone from the palace." The blond's father said as he ran to get the door.

He stopped at the door and straightened himself up, trying to make himself look presentable. He grabbed old of the doorknob and twisted, ready to greet the men on the other side, only to be immediately pushed out of the way. A group of men walked in, wearing black suits as they looked around the house, occasionally marking some of the family's appliances. "Loan sharks." He whispered to himself as he followed the men into the living room.

Judy grabbed hold of Max, steering him out of the mens way and sat him down on one of the couches. The three waited quietly in the living room as the loan sharks went around the house, marking various items. Max eyes followed one as he made his way towards the table, he marked the brand new sewing machine. Judy stood up immediately and ran towards it, taking off the tag. "No, not this!" She exclaimed. One of the men came up behind her and tugged her away.

"Hey," he said threateningly, "if you had paid the money in the first place, it wouldn't have come down to this anyways."

"Hey!" Max yelled as he hit the burly man's arm. "Don't talk to my mom like that!"

One of the others cracked his knuckles as he headed in Max's direction. "Are you seriously that stupid?" He asked, pointing a figure at the blond. "Do you want to die!" Max flinched back at those words, especially when the man kept coming forward, only for his father to step in.

"What do you think your doing!" He yelled. "Saying something like that in front of a child!"

"Its because of you that your child is even in this situation." The first man said.

Judy weakly punched him in the arm and screamed, "Watch what you say!"

"Why you little..." The man said as he grabbed hold of the woman's arm. Max screamed and began to pummel the man's back ineffectively with his fists. His father began hitting the second man, attempting to herd him through the door.

Another one of the men came up behind Max and pried him away from the one he was hitting, only for Max to begin kicking and screaming at the one who was trying to pick him up. During the fray, Mr. Dickenson stepped through the door with a couple of bodyguards surrounding him. He looked surprised as he surveyed the scene before him.

Instantly everyone froze and looked at him. Judy was being grabbed by her shirt, but had a fist raised like she was about to strike her captor. Her husband was behind another man, hand raised, ready to strike him on the head. Max was being partially lifted up in one of the burly man's arms.

Mr. Dickenson looked at Max, worried about the boy. His bodyguards made a move towards the group of men who let go of the family and brushed pass them and out the door. Max dropped to the floor with a thud and one of the guards went over immediately to help him up.

"Are you ready to go?" Mr. Dickenson asked. Judy looked over at her son, who had not moved an inch from his spot. "You can say no." She said, causing the blond to look up at her. He glanced around the room, taking in all their possessions that were marked before looking back at his parents. They both had smiles on their faces, reassuring Max. Then, he looked towards Mr. Dickenson, who was smiling warmly at the blond.

Knowing his answer for sure now, Max nodded his head at the man and said, "Yes, I'm ready." His parents looked shocked at his answer and followed him out the door to the end of the driveway where one of the guards opened the door for Max.

The blond took another look at his parents and said, "I love you both." They smiled back and responded, "We love you too." Max smiled and waved, before climbing into the care. The couple waved towards their son as the car began to pull out and continued until it was out of sight.

Max slowly stepped out of the car when the door was opened for him again. He took a few steps forward and stared in awe at the magnificent palace in front of him. Mr. Dickenson smiled at the boy and thought to himself, _perhaps Kai was right. This boy could bring something new to the palace._ He walked over to him and lightly touched to blond's arm who jumped back, startled, and stared at the man.

"This way." Mr. Dickenson smiled and led the way through the palace. Max had to jog slightly just to keep up with the man's fast pace as he led him through the hallways of the palace, pointing out a few places to the blond.

Finally, he brought Max to a rather small but beautifully colored room with a long table in it. He maneuvered over to one end of the table and pulled out a chair for the blond. Max smiled and sat down. He grabbed the sides of the chair, ready to push himself forward when he felt himself being moved. He looked up at Mr. Dickenson and quietly said, "Thank you."

The man smiled back and walked around to the side so that Max could look at him again. "I know the tour earlier wasn't very thorough, but Her Majesty insisted on seeing you first." He informed. "I will be giving a more extensive tour later." Max nodded in understanding before looking around the room.

Mr. Dickenson smiled at the boys obvious curiosity, before bowing and taking his leave. A few moments later two women walked into the room. The one in front had her arms together in her kimono and the second carried a tray with her. The first stood beside Max and took a small plate from the tray. She set it down in front of Max, then took a small tea cup and set it down on the plate. Next, she took a porcelain tea pot and set it aside and finally took a plate with sweets and set it down besides the tea cup.

She grabbed a small fork and set it down by the sweets. Max could feel himself starting to drool and it took all his will power to stop himself from gobbling all the sweets down, trying to remind himself the place he was in. Gobbling his food down was probably the last thing the royal family expected their son's fiancée to do. The woman took hold of the tea pot and poured the honey colored liquid into Max's tea cup.

"Jasmine tea." The woman informed. (I'm sorry but I LOVE Jasmine tea! And I've had this really cool kind where you actually stick a jasmine flower into the hot water and it blooms!) Max nodded and said, "Thank you." As the women bowed and left.

Max waited a couple moments, making sure that no one else came into the room before he slowly stood up from his chair and began to wander around the room. He looked at some of the photos standing on some of the drawers and stands they had around. The blond laughed at a couple of pictures of who he assumed was the prince as a child.

He stopped at another one that displayed the blue haired prince as a child, with a black haired boy around the same age as him. The two boys were smiling brightly at the camera in traditional men kimonos. "Oh," he said as he looked closer at the unfamiliar boy, "I wonder who that is..."

Eventually losing interest, Max backed away from the pictures and accidentally bumped into another stand. Turning around quickly, Max saw the stand begin to tumble over with a very expensive looking vase on it. Panicked, Max grabbed hold of the vase as its stand tipped over and fell, creating a resounding thud in the room.

Max flinched and looked around him cautiously, listening to see if anyone was coming, or even heard the thud. Deciding no one was coming anytime soon, he quickly bent down to retrieve the stand and bring it back to its upright position. Then he carefully replaced the vase and top and dashed for his seat. _Definitely do NOT touch anything here_, he made a note to himself.

He picked up his tea cup and took a small sip as he continued to take in his surroundings. As he placed the tea cup back onto the plate, it slipped off the edge and landed on his pants. _Great, now it looks like I pissed myself_, Max thought in exasperation when another thought crossed him. _If mom finds out, she'll kill me!_ Glancing around the table, Max took notice to the fact that there were no napkins around. He began to try and wipe it off with his hands futilely. _Crap! What am I suppose to do?_ He thought as he looked behind him to see if anyone was coming. However, as he did that, his elbow touched the soft cake that was given to him.

He looked down at his sleeve in exasperation and wiped the cake off with his hands. _Lovely, now its on my hands_. Max scowled at the sweet treat in frustration, trying to decide what to do with it. _I could just eat it...its not like my hands dirty or anything._ Deciding that was the best course of action, Max brought his fingers up to his lips and licked the cake off. He beamed in delight, _at least its yummy_.

He just finished his second cake coated finger when he heard a voice announce, "Her Majesties have arrived."

Max snapped his head up at the voice and gulped. He took a quick look down at himself, before looking up towards the hallway where the voice was coming from. Only one word raced through his panicked mind at the moment as he tried to figure out a way to get around his little mess. _Shit!_


	6. Chapter 6

Wow, you guys, I dunno what to say...I'm really sorry if I made anyone wait to long for this chapter. I've been all busy with this and that and Color Guard Dx. And my worst nightmare as just started today and it all really sucks but I'm determined to write this chapter RIGHT NOW. For all of you who actually enjoy my story and I'm sorry if it sucks to the other some of you.

Thanks for all the reviews and alerts, because as I've said before it really is the only thing that makes me want to keep writing this. So I thank you all.

* * *

And once again I'm really sorry for the long wait.

"Her Majesties have arrived." A woman's voice called through the empty hallway leading towards the room Max currently occupied. Max froze in his frantic cleaning and lifted his head slowly. Dread began to course through his body as he studied himself, deciding on what to do. He inhaled deeply, closing his eyes, before letting his breath out. He opened his cerulean eyes again and looked to the entrance, waiting for the two royalties to arrive.

Both women walked into the room flanked by a few servants. Max stood himself up quickly, nearly knocking over his chair in the process. "U-um, hello." Max stuttered out and bowed to both women. He held his position, not really knowing what to do. He placed both his hands in front of him, strategically covering up his spill and he tried to keep his elbows back, so they wouldn't take notice of the cake.

Both women looked over the bowing boy. The Queen turned to the servants and dismissed them before placing her attention back at the boy. Koto smiled at him before noticing a bit of cream and crumbs on his arm. She whispered something to her mother-in-law and pointed at Max's arm. The Empress (I'm going to call Kai's grandma Empress and his Mom either Koto or the Queen cuz i'm just becoming lazy now, sorry.) looked from the mess towards the partially destroyed cake and let out a small chuckle.

"Straighten yourself up." Koto commanded. Nervously Max lifted himself into an upright position, but did not make any eye contact with either women. Both Kai's mother and grandmother walked to the other end of the table and took a seat, motioning for Max to do the same. Smiling awkwardly at the two, he slowly seated himself back on his chair and stared intensely at his tea cup.

"Max Mizuhara." The Empress addressed the blond. Max looked up when he heard his name being called, but stayed silent. "What a cute name for a cute boy."

Max blushed at the comment and stuttered, "T-thank y-you." The old woman smiled brightly at him.

"So, do you know Kai?" Koto asked.

"U-um, well he is the prince..." Max trailed off. Koto laughed quietly at his answer and pressed, "You go to the same school. Have you ever spoken to him."

"Er, well no, not really." Max answered. "We study different things, though I have seen him around a couple of times."

"He's really a handsome man." The Empress commented. "Yeah." Max agreed. _But a total ass_. "And he's so nice and well mannered." Max nodded his head in agreement with the Empress again. _Depends on your definition of nice and well mannered._

"But enough about my son," Koto interrupted, "lets talk about you." Max smiled at them, the nervous feeling came back quickly. "It must be hard on you, still a student, but about to get married." The blond nodded his head, realizing the truth of her words. He didn't truly understand the consequences of his actions until he actually heard it from his "fiancé's" mother. He was only thinking about his family at the time.

"What age are you?" She asked.

"Well, I'll be seventeen in a few months." Max replied. Koto nodded her head and looked at the blond with pity. Her own son was only turning eighteen in a month.

"What made you decide to get married?" The Empress asked.

Max turned his gaze down. He felt unsure whether it was right to tell them. Deciding it would be too disrespectful to avoid such a question he decided to answer. After all they deserved to know why their prince's fiancée chose to get married, right? "Well you see, to be honest I didn't really want to at first," Max began, "I didn't think that living life here in the palace was something I wanted." _Actually its because your son is a dick_. Its always ok to tell a small lie. "But, I'm not sure how much longer my parents may be able to afford taking care of me, so I figured this was for the best."

"So this isn't out of even the slightest bit of affection?" Koto asked. Disappointment was clearly evident in her voice.

Max suddenly felt guilty, but chose to defend himself. "With all due respect, Your Majesty," he said, "I don't really_ know _your son, so I don't feel as if I'm in a position to say whether or not I love him or would love him." Koto nodded her head in understanding.

"I suppose you have a point." She said. "This must have been shocking news to hear."

"Yeah," Max confirmed, "it kinda was."

"But you say your family cannot support you." The Empress said. "Are your current living conditions acceptable?"

Max looked surprised at the question and answered, "Well, yeah. I mean, its not like we're hobos." An image of his parents in tattered clothes and begging for money flashed through the blond's mind briefly. "But my father's business went down the drain, and my mother's research isn't getting any funding."

The Empress leaned towards her daughter-in-law and said lowly, "I don't quite understand his language." Koto furrowed her eyebrows and nodded in agreement. (Everyone's nodding in this chapter! HOORAY FOR NODDING PARTIES.)

"I can only understand a few things." Koto admitted. The Empress pursed her lips together. She looked over to the woman next to her and asked quietly, "What exactly is a hobo?"

Koto furrowed her brows and thought for a moment. She replied, "Probably...it probably means living as an average citizen."

"Ah, I see." The Empress said. Both women looked back towards Max who was giving them a confused look and smiled at him. Max returned the smile brightly.

"We'll have a couple of attendances show you around." Koto informed the blond. To girls walked in then and pulled Max's chair away from the table. The blond stood up and bowed to the Queen and Empress once more. "Oh, and perhaps we should get you a towel to clean yourself up with." The Queen said as she gestured to the the blond's cake covered elbow and tea stain.

Max blushed furiously as he followed the two attendances out, leaving the two women to chuckle to themselves.

--

The two attendances led the boy through the hallway until they ran into Mr. Dickenson. Max bowed, greeting the man. He bowed in return and said, "Please follow me." The girls bowed and left as Max followed behind Mr. Dickenson.

The blond kept his eyes to the floor, thinking to himself about what he had done to himself. _ Did I make the right choice? Maybe I just should have been firmer with my parents when I said no._ All these thoughts ran through his head as Mr. Dickenson led him out towards an elevator that headed down towards the cars.

The man pushed to button and turned back around to face Max as they waited. He smiled warmly at him and said, "I can still see a child in you." Max looked up at that, curiousity written all over his features.

Mr. Dickenson tilted his head, seemingly studying to boy before him. "I can see a little bit of your grandfather in you."

Max did a double take at that. "Do you...know me?" He asked. Mr. Dickenson answered with a smile. "And my grandfather?" Before he could reply, another voice cut into the conversation.

"Hey, blondie." Kai walked up to the duo. Mr. Dickenson bowed to the prince but Max only turned his gaze downwards.

The prince came to a stop in front of the blond and looked him over. He snorted and turned to Mr. Dickenson. "You can leave now." He said. The old man bowed before taking his leave. Kai once again faced Max and looked him over one more time before scoffing at the blond.

"What's this?" He questioned as he tugged on Max's shirt. "Cake?"

Max ripped his arm away. "Its not cake." He said in denial.

Kai rolled his eyes. _How much more of a baby can you get?_ "Oh, you're right, I'm sorry, I guess its just part of the design."

Max fumed as he glared up at the prince. "What is _with_ you?" He yelled. "Why are you such a jerk?!"

"Jerk?" Kai repeated. "Am I a jerk?" Kai leaned down towards Max as he asked the question. Max took a step back before Kai grabbed his arm and pulled him closer. "What are you then? A baby?" He asked as he pulled Max against him and leaned down until he was next to his ear. Max flushed at the contact and, through all his mind's denial, couldn't help but feel satisfied by the way Kai's muscular body felt.

"You better raise yourself to my standards." Kai whispered into his ear. Max shivered slightly before glaring at the prince once his words registered into his mind. The blond struggled to get away from Kai's grip. Kai smirked and let go of his fiancé's arm, allowing him to put some distance in between the two of them.

"What?" Max bit out furiously. "Your standards?"

Kai snorted at Max's idiocy. "Yes, my standards. Royalty and the average citizen live differently and considering the fact that you've decided to live as royalty, you better raise yourself up to meet my standards." Max, if possible, glared even harder at the prince now. Murderous thoughts began racing through his mind as he glared at the egotistical prince.

"I know it must have been hard on you, but I think you made the right decision." Kai said. He twirled a piece of golden hair between his fingers as he continued, "Your a completely ordinary kid." He smirked at the evil eyes the blond was attempting to give him. "I think you'll be fun to have here at the palace."

* * *

_Ordinary? Fun?!_ Max thought angrily. _I'll kill this guy, I swear it! I'll kill this guy!_

Sorry, I have to cut it a bit short. My wrist is starting to hurt again. Woe is me! XDDD

Please R&R and I'm sorry again for the late update!

Thankies


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